Page 6 - Sojourner Newsletter FALL 2022

6 THE SOJOURNER

AMERICANISM

Greetings Brethren!

I appreciated being invited by Brother Paul Pennybacker, now our National 3rd Vice President, to serve as
his replacement as Chairman of the National Americanism Committee. It didn’t take me long to agree to
accept the opportunity, since I thought I knew a thing or two about the Americanism programs. Having been
an Army JROTC instructor for 16 years, I was familiar with the three major youth programs from the customer
perspective. Those programs are, of course, the ROTC Medals Program, the National Essay Contest, and the
Spirit of America Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) at Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (FFVF).
Additionally, as the ROTC Medals Coordinator for Harrisburg Chapter #76 for the past decade, I know that
program well. Now that I’ve been in the chairman’s position for a couple of months, I am becoming
consciously unconscious – that is, learning what I don’t know!

Experiences thus far-
Having attended the YLC at FFVF this year, I gained some keen insights about that program. I had
participated twice before at JROTC “summer camps” conducted at FFVF, but this was my first time there
without a military leadership training component. I met the staff and began working with the new program
director, so we are learning things together from our respective positions. I learned about the capacity of
FFVF to handle our students, and I learned about some challenges we face in executing the program. We
wanted to have 100 participants this year, but only achieved half of that number. We also had a few no-shows.
I had time to spend with our National President, Brother Denny Norris to receive his guidance for the year, and
to discuss composition of the Americanism Committee. The Constitution and By-Laws we adopted at the
102nd Annual National Convention reduced the size of committee considerably. In recent weeks, I have also
had the opportunity to tap into some of the brain trust of our organization through conversations with Brothers
Harry Sanders and Bill Turner, both Past National Presidents, Legion of Honor recipients and long-time
Americanism Committee members, regarding the history of our Americanism programs and other committee
issues. Of course, Brother Paul Pennybacker is and will remain a valued advisor on committee functions.
Finally, our National Secretary-Treasurer Brother Mark Underwood, and Webmaster Brother Bill Hickey have
provided feedback on the quality and functionality of our information and working tools available to our
members and the public.

2022-2023 Goals-
In consideration of these observations, I have set three main goals for this year:
1. Reorganize the committee to bring the structure in line with the specifications of the National Constitution
& By-Laws
2. Update our documents, policies & procedures to reflect current directives and practices
3. Enhance our communications within the committee, our Order, and with our partner organizations

Reorganization-
A review of last year’s version of our Staff Directory shows this committee with five subcommittees, and
about two dozen members. Yet, in practice, only the past chairman and a small core of individuals have done
the true work required to advance our programs. Currently, Article VIII, Section 2 of the National By-Laws
directs that the Americanism Committee “consists of a Chairman, a Secretary, and up to fifteen members as
authorized by the National President.” Furthermore, there will be three sub-committees with a chairman and
up to three members each. As such, our standing sub-committees shall consist of 1. ROTC Awards, 2. Youth
Activities, and 3. Patriotic Activities and Freedoms Foundation. Next, I will provide some details on each of
these sub-committees and will mention updated procedures within each program as we go along.